Are you a fan of animes and mangas? Well, you must have come across the name Kazuki Takahashi, right? Yes, he was one of the most famous creators of anime and mangas. However, it is shocking and deeply saddening that we lost a talented personality at the age of 60. Police are still unaware of the causes of his death. Needless to say, the entire anime community is still trying hard to process the news of his death.
Takahashi is best known for overseeing the Yu-Gi-Oh! Franchise since its start in 1996. So it is pretty difficult to believe we no longer have him among us. In fact, Yu-Gi-Oh! launched Takahashi’s career when it debuted in 1996. It took his popularity to new heights and gave him international recognition. Before that, Takahashi’s career was moderately successful with the manga adaptation of the 1986 sports anime Go-Q-Choji Ikkiman. He created his first original work, Tokio no Taka, in 1990.
So you can understand that this man has been the creator of some of the most popular animes of all time. Therefore, this sudden death news has devastated all his fans on social media. Let us now share some significant aspects of the talented personality’s life.
A Short Bio of Kazuki Takahashi
Since you are reading this article, it is evident that you are an anime or manga fan. Nowadays, these animated shows and stories are no longer restricted to only Japan, but it has spread to all parts of the world. Manga artists have gained international recognition for their work. Kazuki Takahashi was one of the most popular Japanese manga artists and game creators.
The personality was born in Tokyo, Japan, on October 4th, 1961. Therefore, he was just 60 years old at the time of his death. People know him best for creating Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. As we said, Takahashi started his career as a manga artist in the early 1980s with short works for various magazines.
So his first major work was Tokio no Taka. It was a one-shot published in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1990. In fact, one of his earliest works, Tennenshoku Danji Buray, was published from 1991 to 1992. However, Takahashi considered many of his early works as total flops.
Have A Look at Takahashi’s Career Details
So as you know, in 1996, Takahashi launched Yu-Gi-Oh! in Weekly Shōnen Jump. He later serialized it in 2004. Needless to say, the series became a huge success and has sold over 40 million copies. In fact, the series has also received several media adaptations. This includes an anime television series and a trading card game. Moreover, Takahashi continued to supervise the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise following the end of the original manga’s run.
In 2013, Takahashi released the one-shot manga “Drump” in Weekly Shōnen Jump, based on a new game by Takahashi. Moreover, in 2015, Takahashi received the Inkpot Award from Comic-Con International. This was for his outstanding contributions to comics.
At the same time, in 2018, Takahashi published the limited series “The Comiq” in Weekly Shōnen Jump. In addition, Takahashi also wrote a two-part manga titled “Secret Reverse” for the Marvel × Shōnen Jump+ Super Collaboration, which was released on Shōnen Jump+ in September 2019.
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Some International Aspects About His Personal Life
If you are wondering what Takahashi loved doing in his personal life, let us share with you the details. As per the sources, he liked to play games such as shogi, mahjong, card games, and tabletop role-playing games.
Probably because of his love for games, he also started creating games. Needless to say, he was pretty famous as a game creator as well. He also used those ideas to develop mangas. Since Takahashi was an exceptional artist, he could effortlessly bring out his imaginations on paper. However, we lost this man of multiple talents at a time when he would have still given us a lot of his creativity.
In an interview with Shonen Jump, Takahashi stated that his favorite manga from other authors included “Akira” by Katsuhiro Otomo, “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” by Hirohiko Araki, and “Dragon Ball” by Akira Toriyama. He also enjoyed reading American comics, with Hellboy being his favorite American comic book character.
His pet dog, a Shiba Inu named Taro, was the basis for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game monster card Shiba-Warrior Taro, the card’s artwork, was personally drawn by Takahashi. Unfortunately, we are unable to share any details of family life regarding who he is married to and if he has kids or not.
What was The Cause of Takahashi’s Death?
According to the sources, a citizen on a nearby boat spotted a body off the coast of Nago City in Okinawa. It was on July 6th at around 10.30 a.m. Japanese Coast Guard authorities later announced that the body was indeed that of Takahashi.
So we know from the media houses that the police found Takahashi wearing snorkeling gear. In fact, he appeared to have already been dead for between one and two days. Moreover, the police also did not confirm whether it was Takahashi’s body or not. The police confirmed his body’s identity until a day later by the Nago Maritime Security Office.
However, as of now, we are not yet sure what was the cause of the man’s death. The Coast Guard and Police have yet to confirm the cause of death, including whether it was accidental. So all you have to do is patiently wait for the investigation to end.
How Did Yu-Gi-Oh! Fans Pay Their Last Tributes To Kazuki Takahashi?
The creator of Yu-Gi-Oh’s death shocked the entire community of anime and manga fans while people might know Yu-Gi-Oh! for its card game, fans will know that Takahashi’s magnum opus actually began as a horror-based story. In fact, the cards didn’t even show up until the 9th chapter. At that time, fans knew the game as “Magic and Wizards.” Needless to say, Magic: The Gathering inspired the game.
However, the game aspect quickly grew in popularity, and at the request of Shonen Jump Magazine, Takahashi developed it into the manga’s primary focus. This is what changed his life and career. In fact, he contributed to not just the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, the anime as an executive producer, and the game as a consultant. Moreover, for his contributions, Takahashi was awarded the Comic-Con International Inkpot Award in 2015.
In fact, outside of Yu-Gi-Oh, he was also involved in Marvel’s Secret Reverse in 2019. He presented a team-up between Iron Man and Spider-Man as they took on an evil Japanese gaming company CEO.
Ending Note
So as we conclude, we can say that Kazuki Takahashi is one of the most famous manga and anime creators. However, it is our loss that he left for the heavenly abode so soon. We hope he can rest in peace and showcase his creativity there. The entire community will miss him greatly; it is his unforgettable creations that will keep him alive in our hearts forever.
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